ABSTRACT
This paper addresses Operational Barrier Elements (OBE) to strengthen the management of Major Accident Hazards (MAH) in major oil and gas field development project. OBE are defined as safety critical tasks that contribute to prevent and mitigate major accident hazards. 87 OBEs were identified, distributed across four platforms and 15 safety performance standards. The majority of the OBEs are related to gas detection, emergency shut-down, active fire protection, and well integrity. The primary output of the activity is Performance Requirements (PR) for each OBE, and recommendations for strengthening human performance through Performance Influencing Factors (PIF). OBEs were integrated in the field wide safety strategies, and the Operational Readiness team incorporated the OBEs in System descriptions and Operational Procedures (SO). Even though no critical deficiencies in design or barriers were identified, systematic integration of OBEs in engineering and operations will strengthen the fields robustness to withstand major accidents hazards in operations.
